AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Swing Out Sister

Artist:Swing Out Sister
Song:Breakout
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Swing Out Sister




Breakout was the only big US hit for the British group Swing Out Sister in 1987. They were a much bigger deal at home. There were several British groups in the late 80s that offered a jazz influenced kind of pop music. Swing Out Sister are from Manchester, England. Pianist Andy Connell and drummer Martin Jackson were both in 70s punk bands. Connell was in A Certain Ratio. Jackson was in Magazine. They worked with DJ Greg Wilson in the group Broken Glass. Corinne Drewry was a model and fashion designer when she met Connell in 1984. He convinced her to try singing. The group is named after the 1945 Arthur Treacher film Swing Out Sister. Supposedly they all hated the name but they couldn't agree on anything else. They got together with remix guy Paul Staveley O'Duffy and signed with Mercury Records in England. Breakout was the first single from their debut album It's Better To Travel. It reached #4 on the British Singles chart. When it was released in the US in 1987, it reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It turned out to be Swing Out Sister's only big hit in the US. They continued to have success in England and in the Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz markets. They were nominated for two Grammys including Best New Artist. Richard Niles arranged the horns. He was an American who moved to England in the 70s. He was Cat Stevens' musical director but Niles did all kinds of things. Jackson left Swing Out Sister while the 1989 album Kaleidoscope World was being recorded. Since then the group has been a duo and they bring in session musicians. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. Swing Out Sister released the 2017 album Almost Persuaded on their own label. It doesn't look like they perform live anymore. Here's the video of Breakout by Swing Out Sister.